1 Steeping Beauty The inventively shaped Mirza, a five-cup porcelain teapot by French designers Tsé & Tsé Associées, comes with a reversible cozy lined with fuchsia cotton and a removable aluminum strainer; store this tubular-shaped brewer (10"l x 4"w x 6"h) vertically to save space ($135; illicodesign.com). 2 Time Traveler For those days when you hate to wear a watch, just clip on the tiny Tempo Time Tag (1" x 1¼2") to your sleeve, collar or bag, and you' ll always know what time it is ($18 for two; 877/805-1801, vessel.com). 3 Plats du Jour Conventional dinnerware doesn' t always work with multicultural menus. Mikaela Dörfel' s Tapa porcelain for Fürstenberg artfully solves the problem, supplying seven different pieces for everything from tacos to tagines, a true synthesis of form and function (sizes shown: $32, $44, $98; 866/547-1747, fuerstenberg-porzellan.com). 4 Holesome Entertaining Dutch designer Ed Annink reasoned that today no one ever sips from teaspoons; people use them just to stir coffee or tea, so he created this poetic perforated leaf pattern based on an old delft design on silver-plated stainless steel ($75 for set of six; droogdesign.nl). 5 The New Old Grind Himalania, unrefined pink fossil salt formed more than 200 million years ago in the Himalayan Mountains, now has a new twist: It' s available in rock-size pieces that you can grate over your food (8-ounce package, $12, including grater; 310/559-0259, himalania.com). 6 Worth Its Weight Salviati produces the Astri paperweight by French designer Isabelle Poilprez, former student of glassmaking maestro Lino Tagliapietra, utilizing a first-millennium-b.c. technique: Colored glass rods arranged in a pattern are cut, then fused into a mosaic sphere, which is then cut and etched (available in a range of patterns and hues, from $500; 866/888-6677, mossonline.com).

1 Puppy Love The winsome polyethylene stool for kids by Spanish designer Javier Mariscal for Magis is modeled after Julian the Dog, one of his famous cartoon creations and an ancestor of Cobi, the mascot of the '92 Olympics in Barcelona ($80; 866/755-9079). 2 Modern Pop Is it art, a puzzle or a book? Whatever you decide, the ten masterfully drawn pop-up sculptures in David A. Carter's One Red Dot—each one challenging the reader to find the one red dot on the page—is sure to please children of all ages ($20; simonsayskids.com). 3 Make the Connection Microsoft's XBox 360 is more than just a souped-up video gaming system; it' s a complete media center that can amplify music from your MP3 player, send and receive photos and play videos from the Internet as well as DVDs. Designed by Jonathan Hayes of Microsoft, Astro Studios and Hers Experimental Design Laboratory, the high-definition, streamlined unit (10"w x 12"l x 3 1/4"h) is completely wireless (visit microsoft.com for price). 4 Give It a Tie Clever Italian designer Paola Navone didn' t reinvent the wheel, but she has reconceived the pillow (as part of her collection for Gervasoni). It's made of 100 percent Indian cotton and filled with a mix of Dacron and feathers ($140; 877/455-6350, imoderni.com). 5 Banner Savings BetterWall rescues those spectacular flags produced in small quantities for major museum exhibitions around the world and sells them online, donating a percentage of the proceeds back to the museum. Above: From the exhibit Geisha: Beyond the Painted Smile at the Asian Art Museum of San Francisco (printed vinyl 72" x 35", edition of 284, $415; betterwall.com).

1 The Perfect Gift Wrap This multihued houndstooth throw by Osamu Mita mixes different colored yarns to create a textured, reversible pattern. Soft and warm, the double-woven jacquard blanket in 100 percent wool measures 65 by 38 inches ($165; 800/447-6662, momastore.org). 2 Gifts from the Heart Make a real difference with a gift through MISSIONmarket: Fund the business training of a local craftswoman in Burkina Faso, West Africa; give nine months of math and literacy classes to an Afghan girl; provide a homeless mother with an eight-week parenting class. Embroidered silk pouches, fashioned from vintage saris, serve as envelopes for the certificates (from $40; abchomeandplanet.org). 3 Solving the Oil Crisis Until recently, top-quality walnut oil was only available as an expensive import. Now La Tourangelle, a 150-year-old French company, has opened an American branch in Woodland, California, that turns homegrown walnuts into a luxe oil with fresh-roasted taste (about $9 for 16.9 oz.; 866/688-6457, latourangelle.com). 4 Stuck for Time? Perfect for technophobes, Eva Solo's handsome stainless-steel-and-silicone rubber timer is the height of simplicity. The magnetized four-inch-diameter unit attaches to any metal surface ($33; kitchenandbeyond.com). 5 Moving Pictures The Digital Photo Display from Philips lets you view and store images without a computer. Just plug the camera into the frame' s USB port or insert a memory card. It can run as a slide show or display single photos (it holds 80 images). The frame has a cordless rechargeable battery and built-in clock that turns the display on or off ($250; philips.com). 6 Second Acts Recycled glass has never looked so sleek, thanks to designers Tord Boontje and Emma Woffenden. Their Vase 1 vessel and funnel have a sexy satin finish ($36; 323/655-6551, artecnicainc.com).

1 See the Big Picture Los Angeles, a brilliant book of photographs by Tim Street-Porter (whose work often appears in this magazine), celebrates the City of Angels in an aptly panoramic 16-by-12-inch size. Street-Porter captures the essence of the Pacific metropolis: the palm-lined avenues, hip hotels, beautiful homes, desert oases and, of course, the freeways. The book, printed in a limited edition of 5,000, has an introduction by Diane Keaton. Each copy includes a signed photographic print ($195; rizzoliusa.com). 2 Helping Hands This set of two pairs of gloves makes a perfect gift for gardeners. The Multi-Tasker' made of the stretchy, featherweight fabric used for cycling gloves' has leather palms, padded thumb and fingertips and extended cuffs. The water-resistant leather version offers extra protection against friction, abrasion and brambles. Both have cinch closures and are hand-washable ($59 for two pairs; smithandhawken.com). 3 Pet Project Scoop and Serve feeding bowls, designed by Mark Kimbrough, are bound to please all animal lovers. They come in three sizes' one ($8.95), four (shown, $14.95) and six cups ($19.95) and have surgical-grade stainless-steel interiors and easy-care acrylic exteriors. Dishwasher safe (888/893-8669, wetnoz.com). 4 Jump Start You can't give them enough rope when its made of Mongolian cashmere. This indulgence for grown-ups by Brunello Cucinelli for Saks Fifth Avenue has leather handles and a cotton cord core to maintain the rope's stiffness ($195; 800/347-9177). 5 Flavor of the Month Sweet enough to use as a stand-alone dressing, O's cassis vinegar is made by steeping wild currants (harvested in the Pacific Northwest) in Napa Valley champagne. Handcrafted and barrel-aged ($10 for 6.8 oz.; ooliveoil.com).

1 Out of Africa Nymphenburg, the venerable German porcelain manufacturer, hunted through its archives to discover this majestic rendition of a rhinoceros that was originally designed in 1751. The artists who painstakingly craft it today have made it modern by producing this endangered animal in a simple off-white glaze (14 1/2"l x 7 1/2"h, $3,800; 866/888-6677, mossonline.com). 2 Go for the Gold Venturing yet farther into the home, English fashion giant Burberry makes a strong, modern statement with its handsome seven-inch-diameter porcelain bowl adorned with an impressionistic, enlarged version of its iconic plaid pattern—this time executed in gold ($175; 800/284-8480). 3 Charge It, Please Soldius's portable cell phone charger, weighing just three ounces, is no bigger than a three-by-five-inch card and is only a scant half inch thick. It operates on solar power without the aid of any internal batteries and charges in direct sun in two to three hours ($90; 888/786-2474, mysoldius.com). 4 Make Light of It Bright idea for a centerpiece: Orten' zia, the silver-plated halogen battery-operated lamp with a hydrangea-like festive form, designed by Bruno Rainaldi for Terzani, runs five to seven hours without a charge. It stands 4 1/2 inches high ($390, with charger; 866/837-9264). 5 A Gift That Grows on You Container gardeners will love Oxo's stainless-steel-and-Santoprene tool set, which includes scissors with spring-backed locking handles, a measure-marked trowel, a cultivator with angled tines for ease in loosening soil around pots and window boxes, a multiuse transplanter with teeth for combing out compacted roots and a straight edge for removing root balls, a plastic scoop and a handy caddy, all especially designed for small-scale horticulture ($40 for six-piece set; 800/545-4411, oxo.com).